Content is King but branded video content is Queen
Content is King but viewers are used to seeing subtle (but noticeable) branded content on Social Media platforms.
During the Coronavirus lock down a lot of people had a lot of spare time to spend on social media. They were crying out for interesting and entertaining content, not just an endless news stream of Covid doom.
So we set ourselves the task of spending a couple of days to produce our own branded content video, publicise/ post/ upload it and then measure the resulting statistics. The aim was to compare Social Media paid advertising with the publicity generated from ‘free’ branded content.
Our choice of video audience and location
We chose a target audience close to home in North Devon. Having the knowledge of local issues and what would ‘push peoples buttons’ was very useful. So we chose an April Fools video post of a new ‘Hollywood’ sign.
If you don’t know the area these videos were set in then maybe we should explain. Being National Trust owned then obviously they were never going to be allowed planning permission for what our videos proposed.
This generated both fury and amusement as the online discussions went back and forth about it being ‘fake news’ or actually built.
Most importantly it got people posting comments, sharing the videos and liking our Facebook page.
What is the difference between Branded Content and a Promotional video?
The Facebook community and news groups and pages we posted on loved the stories. Although they didn’t allow advertising or promotional posts they recognised that they were getting free quality content with minimally invasive branding. All of which generated publicity for our website and added followers for our Social Media platforms.
Advertsing versus branded content videos
We all know adverts are at best tolerated, usually ignored or at worst annoying. If you can create a branded viral video they are a hugely effective promotional tool. However you need the creative skills to create one and it’s much easier to just opt for paid advertising.
So, is Facebook advertising worth it?
Although this branded video experiment didn’t really have a targeted marketing strategy we did achieve 10,000 video views in less than 24 hours. Not bad for a couple of days work. Was this a better return on investment than e.g paid Facebook advertising? Well it was definitely a lot more engaging and memorable for the audience and gained us some really useful local business contacts.


What's the next thing in branded videos?
Our next Westward Ho! Project video production ideas are already lined up. We will only say that they involve interesting and entertaining ideas. There purpose is to demonstrate that, with no budget we can still capture the public’s attention in an entertaining way.
Unusual ways of grabbing attention on Social Media
Did you know the Facebook has a built in 3d model display? Most people don’t but it works well, ask us about the Facebooks 3d development over the last few years.
Even though the current 3d capabilities are very restricted compared to 2018 it’s likely they will reinstate the full version in the neat future.
The other way of using Facebook is as an interactive immersive image viewer. The gyro and accelerometer are used so the viewer simply points the mobile device like a magic window.
Our Work Portfolio
Bug Head Volks Wear
Car DAB Radio 2d explainer video example
Consumer Electronics explainer video service
Elvis Votes
Clovelly visitors kiosk video
We have worked with many national and international company marketing strategies.
CGI images can be used for-
- print brochures,
- trade show displays,
- websites.
We produce videos for-
- e-commerce,
- websites,
- social media content and advertising,
- exhibition stand video displays,
- TV advertising
- in store video displays
- after market customer care and ‘in the box’ quick start guides can explain the products usage and setup.
We are happy to discuss how CGI can fit into your marketing funnel strategy.